WILSON NAMED CAA CO-TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Apr 19, 2011

RICHMOND, Va. – It's almost as if senior DeAngelo Wilson has been living out the phrase, "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."

The stronger part of that statement is coming out in Wilson's last stand as a Ram as the veteran blistered a rain-soaked track at the VCU Invitational this weekend en route to being named the CAA Co-Track Athlete of the Week.

It's been a long time coming for the Richmond, Va. native who has battled injuries and many other obstacles throughout his time in the Black & Gold.

"As nice as it is to receive this award, I just want this to be a step towards the ultimate team goal of winning a championship in a few weeks," Wilson said. "My coaches and teammates have pushed me every day and allowed me to accomplish great things. Those will be the exact things that we need to continue as a team to reach our goal."

Although the weather conditions weren't ideal around the Metro Richmond area, Wilson gritted his teeth and posted one of the finest performances of his VCU career.

It started in the 4x100 meter relay, where he teamed with classmates Kyle Jones, Donnie Seward and Allan Moody to cross the line in 41.71, the top mark in the event. Then it was on to the 200-meter dash, where he blasted past the field to a time of 22.09 against an incredibly strong head wind.

Wilson finished off his day with a personal best time of 10.39 in the 100-meter dash, good for third place in the event.

"DeAngelo had a pretty good day and that's what we're going to need from him come conference time," Head Coach Jon Riley said. "As a veteran on this squad, he's going to need to continue to show his leadership skills if we want to reach the goals we set for the team entering this year."

Wilson and his teammates will be back in action this weekend when they head up the road to the JMU Invitational in Harrisonburg, Va.